R4 2024 | Seniors vs Brunswick

Cameron Witt celebrates his 50th game. Image courtesy of Jim Wilson.

To put it simply, round 4 didn’t go to plan. MHSOBFC started full of confidence coming off a strong win against Aquinas. The Unicorns welcomed Angus Lane (Europe trip), Oscar Sargeant and James Dimogotsi (from the U/20s, returning to the seniors after debuting last year) into the side for their first senior appearances of 2024. 

It was also the celebration of Cam Witt’s 50th club game, with hopes he goes onto 300+ (no pressure Cam). Brunswick were undefeated on top of the ladder with strong winning margins, and given they’ve played division two finals for the last few seasons, were always going to be a great measure of where the Seniors were at in the scheme of things.

The first quarter went back and forth, as MHSOBFC’s forwards converted opportunities with goals to Nick McKinnon, Will Kruyt and Will Hellier. Both midfields traded blows and the score was within a goal at the first break.

Things changed from that point onwards, with Brunswick’s midfield getting on top and the whole team showing signs they’ve clearly played together for a while, rebounding strongly in waves off the half back line. The pressure of the green, maroon & black dropped and the score discrepancy grew. Duncan Clarke & Same Hayes were noble down back, rebounding as best they could under repeat duress. Ben Field-Pimm continued to inject his competitive nature into the side, tackling different opportunities both forward and back. Angus Lane got grilled for going overseas and missing the first few rounds – but he was simply terrific and didn’t look like he’d missed any footy at all.

Key forward Matt Robertson hit the scoreboard late, but conceding 18 goals to 1 after quarter time was a pretty tidy summary of the afternoon. Will Hellier was excellent as always, and (dare this author suggest) probably extended his early lead in the best & fairest stakes.

The Unicorns travel to Elsternwick next week, who are also at the pointy end of the table, and look forward to the challenge against a club not faced in the seniors for a few years.

Final Scores: MHSOBFC 4.10-34 defeated by Brunswick 22.16-148

Goal Kickers: Will Kruyt, Nick McKinnon, Will Hellier, Matt Robertson

Best Players: Will Hellier, Angus Lane, Benjamin Field-Pimm, Sean Lester, Nick McKinnon, Sam Hayes